The subject matter disclosed herein relates to an insulating wrap, and in particular to a wrap that may be used with structures electrically energized with stray voltage, such as street lamps or utility poles for example, to isolate the structure from inadvertent contact.
Objects may sometimes be energized with an electrical charge that has an elevated voltage potential, sometimes referred to as “stray voltage”. Stray voltage may occur in a variety of situations, such as where insulation on an electrical conductor becomes worn or damaged. If the damaged conductor is in contact with a conductive structure, such as a pipe, a street light pole or a traffic control pole for example, then the structure may become energized with stray voltage.
In a number of jurisdictions and localities there is a requirement for utility companies to perform voltage testing to detect stray voltage. When an energized structure is found, the structure is isolated, such as with barricades for example, and the source of the voltage is investigated. Typically, service personnel will also be stationed at the structure to guard the structure and prevent third parties from touching the structure. It should be appreciated that in some circumstances the investigation to mitigate the stray voltage may take a considerable amount of time as source may not be readily apparent and the electrical energy may travel a distance from the location of the damaged conductor. In these cases, the company responsible for watching the energized structure may incur significant labor expense in stationing personnel to watch the structure.
Accordingly, while existing procedures for isolating an energized structure are suitable for their intended purposes the need for improvement remains, particularly in providing a device for isolating an energized structure and obviating the need for personnel to guard the structure.